Ai Shiteru
by XxEternalMercuryxX
Summary: Kagome meets InuYasha when they are both children. INCOMPLETE. HIATUS. MIGHT POST EDITED VERSION.


Aishiteru

Chapter 1: Silver-Haired Savior

(Part One)

Disclaimer: I no own, so you no sue, okies?

Italics: thoughts

Parentheses: telepathic mind bond speech

Normal font: the story

Quotation marks: speech

: scene change

The blue-eyed, raven-haired 10-year-old little girl skipped merrily across the green meadow, filling her basket with as many flowers as she could. (A.N. Ooooo…is it Rin-chan? Or not? So mysterious…) The child, who by this time had wandered into the forest, was completely oblivious to the Inu-youkai silently stalking her until she heard a twig snap behind her. A young boy's voice cursed. Feeling the hairs on her neck rise, the girl whipped around, her shoulder-length hair hitting the youkai in the face. She heard a growl just as her eyes met furious red ones. "Uh oh…" she muttered, staring in shock at the boy's pointy ears, the blue crescent moon on his forehead hidden by his bangs, and the purple markings on his face. She snapped her eyes back to the demonic red orbs at his growl. In a cold, angry voice, the youkai spoke. "Ningen, you will pay for your insolence." He said, raising his claws. The girl shrank back in fear. "_What is he going to do to me?"_

The hanyou laughed aloud as he went leaping among the trees, looking like a silvery-red blur to the eyes of the onlooker. Not that there were any. The townspeople had their superstitions: the forest next to the 'scary' palace was 'haunted'. He shook his head. Stupid ningen…he looked around him and a single tear fell from his eye. "Okaa-san…" he shook his head The age of youkai living in this country was over: all of his kin was over in Japan. He was the only one left. The only hanyou ever to be born in his pack.

His father, the great Inu no Taisho, had fallen in love with his mother: a ningen princess named Izayaoi. He had mated her, and she had borne his pup: him. But one day, his mother's palace in Japan was torched by the Chinese army. (A.N. I have no idea if China was even around at that time or if China and Japan were even enemies! Or if it was possible to torch palaces! But I'm on a roll here so bear with me! ) Inu no Taisho arrived just as her chambers were consumed by the flames. He found Izayaoi's corpse shielding their baby boy. He had taken InuYasha and given him to a ningen family to be taken care of: they had lived in the very mansion his forest surrounded. And he was grateful. For if his father had given him to the pack, he would have been killed immediately. Ningen were weak. But hanyou were worse. They were scum. He looked down…was he scum? He was a hanyou after all…

Suddenly, his nose twitched. Sniffing the air more thoroughly, he frowned. What was a ningen doing here? In his forest? He sniffed again. Was that…SESSHOUMARU? He had to go check this out. Following his nose, he swiftly ran towards the scents on all fours. He had smelled fear in that ningen… and it smelled like his brother was furious. So either the human was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or about to be his brother's lunch. He saw a bright light coming from where his nose was leading him. He leaped towards it as fast as his twelve-year-old limbs could go.

She gasped as, eyes filled with malice, the boy swiftly brought down his claws and left four diagonal scratches on her right cheek. As the youkai smirked at her wide-eyed look of terror, she reached up and felt her face. Her cheek felt wet. She slowly brought her trembling wet fingers to her eye level. Her fingers were wet with…blood!

Raising her head proudly, she held her arms outstretched in front of her as the youkai raised his claws once more. "Not AGAIN!" she screamed. She would not lose her life thus! As her determination grew, she felt a stirring deep within her soul…a type of power, stemming from her determination and pride…she found it, centered in on it, focused it in her hands…let it flow out from her hands into a protective shield…Her eyes narrowed as she focused on making it stronger in the split second before the claws reached her. As if in slow motion, the claws came down…down…down…SIZZLE. THUNK. The girl came back to reality as the boy stared at his bleeding stump of a right arm in amazement, his eyes widening a fraction, and then becoming cold once more.

"You have gone too far…" the girl looked on in awe as where the boy once stood there was now…a gigantic silvery blue dog. No, not a dog…A dog demon. This was his true form. The Great White Dog. The future Daiyamo (sp.?) of the Inu Youkai Clan.

It really was amazing that so many enchanting and usually crazy legends could be told in her small village…Were they all ok? Did they miss her? She had promised her mother and Souta that she would be home safe before sunset, and all she wanted to do was to pick some pretty flowers to decorate the dinner table with!

This boy was a legend despite his young age. It was rumored that he had a youger brother, a hanyou named InuYasha. Inu no Taisho had loved the hanyou's mother but he could not protect her always. Even with his youkai speed and strength, it look him a while to reach her palace in the Northern lands from his in the Western lands…He tried, so their son was safe. But Inu no Taisho had a wife before Izayaoi. A Inu demoness who bore his first son: the stoic and cold Sesshoumaru: The ferocious dog demon she now faced. But one thing remained constant in all the legend told about him: though he is a child, he has the maturity of a forty year-old man and the strength, skill and lack of fear of the most seasoned warrior. They also say that when one sees his true form, it will be the last thing they ever see…She shuddered.

But wait! What was that jumping around? It looked like a dust mite…or maybe a flea? "Hmm…" she looked for the jumping thing again. It was gone. Feeling something on her cheek, she slapped it. Tried to would be more accurate. She was quivering like a scared little rabbit. And she had good reason to. The feral dog was snarling at her, his crimson eyes full of bloodlust. What was she going to do? How would she defend herself? She hastily put up a shield again-a very weak shield this time. He walked right though it…He was closing in…Someone help her!

InuYasha was close: he could feel it. But wait…what was that smell? It smelled like age and…flea. "Myouga," He put a hand to each cheek just as the flea landed. "You know, you really could try masking your scent…" he paused. Myouga smelled like his brother…and a ningen. Scathingly, he said, "Where's Sesshoumaru! You've been near him, I can smell it! What was he doing? Let me guess, looking for his lunch?" The elderly flea youkai landed on top of Inu Yasha's head, next to his right ear. Sensing the clawed hand that was about to flick him off, he quickly added, cringing at the sight of the sharp claws almost in his face, "Don't worry, Lord InuYasha. I wouldn't dream of biting your ear, I already had my lunch today. Now, you wanted to know about your brother?"

The very mention of his brother from his most (and only) trusted aqquaintance, sent him into a fit of growling. How he loathed Sesshoumaru! Ever since that day…

Flashback

Inu no Taisho smiled and patted his older son's head, to which he scowled and ducked under his father's hand as he cried out in protest, "Father! I feel like a child whenever you do that!"

Inu no Taisho's smile slowly turned upside down. _Stop trying to grow up so fast… _ "But Sesshy, you are a child. You're my little Inu-chan! This time he gave his son a noogie, and he couldn't escape as easily.

Growling as he got out of the accursed noogie, he began his complaint/lecture, "Father, I don't appreciate being called a dog. I am a dog DEMON. There are crucial differences between a dog and a dog youkai. Dogs, though intelligent creatures, are not fortunate enough to have a soul and a sense of humanity like we youk-"

His father cut him off, flashing a toothy grin at his son's antics. His son merely kept on scowling. "Sesshoumaru, I have to go meet with the lords of the North, South, and East. Would you please take care of your little brother for me? I don't want anyone else I care about to get hurt…Will you do that for me, son?"

Grumbling, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes father…I will see that no harm comes to InuYasha, even at the cost of my own life."

Inu no Taisho beamed, engulfing his elder son in a huge bear hug. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru. You have no idea how much this means to me! Be careful," Releasing his now blue-in-the-face son, he walked over to the tiny crib in a corner of their hut. In the crib, all wrapped up was an adorable little baby inu-hanyou with cat-like dog ears. Huge amber eyes blinking sleepily at his smiling father, the boy drifted off to sleep knowing that he'd be safe with his otou-san and older brother there with him. Inu no Taisho smiled gently at his youngest son, his baby, and ruffled his hair while simultaneously adjusting his blankets. InuYasha stirred but did not wake.

Turning back to Sesshoumaru, he nodded. "Sesshoumaru, you are the man of the house while I am away, as always. It is your duty to ensure the safety of you and your brother. If any errands need to be done, bring your brother with you. It is your responsibility to keep him safe at all times…" and so he went on, listing all the other home-alone precautions he wanted his first son to follow. "Well, I must be off. Remember everything I have told you. Be safe!"

Sesshoumaru waved as his father launched himself into the air, became surrounded by his own golden aura, and teleported himself to the central palace of the Youkai Council. But his older son knew that that wasn't all his father was going to do…had he planned a little tryst with the Lady Izayaoi again?

Sesshoumaru sighed. His own mother, Keiko, had been Inu no Taisho's first wife. He had never mated her. The marriage was to form an alliance between the Eastern and Western Lands, nothing more. The two had been friends since childhood. When they learned of the betrothal, they took it into stride. They were best friends: getting married wouldn't be that bad.

Though they consummated the marriage (as was obvious by Sesshoumaru's existence), his father had not marked her as his mate. When they found their true mates, they would not be tied to each other by a loveless mating. "Well, not exactly loveless…" Sesshoumaru whispered aloud to himself. After a time, Keiko began to fall in love with her husband, and wished them to become mates. But by the time she had gathered enough courage to tell him how she felt, he had already begun courting the Lady Izayaoi. Joyously, he informed her that he had found his true mate, completely oblivious to her true feelings. Eventually, she told him, right when Sesshoumaru was about four years of age. "And then a big bad boar youkai came barging in…Daddy was too shocked by the news to do anything…and that was how your mommy Keiko passed on." A lone tear slid down his purple-striped cheek. Yes, he had heard the story numerous times, but it never ceased to sadden him.

"Better check on Inu," According to the sundial positioned outside the window of his room, it had taken him a half-hour to sort through all his depressing memories about Keiko. Walking out of his bedroom door and into the first door to his right, he went towards his half-brother's crib. The Lady Izayaoi, who was human, was his mother. And his father's mate.

Reaching the crib, he smiled. His brother was a little angel when he was sleeping. He reached down to ruffle his brother's hair…his clawed hand met empty air. Frowning, Sesshoumaru sniffed the air. Aha! There was the scent of an oni in the room! And it centered around…InuYasha's crib?

He peered into the vacant crib. In the spot where his brother should have been sleeping, there was a note. 'Inu no Taisho,' it read. 'We have your half-breed son. If you want to see him again before we kill him (for all filthy half-breeds deserve an early pass to hell), you must end the courtship with the whore you call Izayaoi. Don't ask how I know about that ningen whore: my spies are everywhere…End her miserable, worthless life before the sun rises, or else. –Naraku'

Growling, Sesshoumaru demolished the letter with his poison claws. "The bastard's name means hell for heaven's sake! And if I know this bastard-which I do, he has quite a reputation-he tortures his victims before letting them die a slow, painful death…that gives me some time to get Inu back…but the most sensitive part of an inu youkai or inu hanyou is their ears, he'll probably go for those first…" His eyes widened in realization at what he just said. To strip an inu youkai of its ears would ensure its death…an earless inu youkai means that it has been cast out of the pack, and has been left on its own to die. To cut off an inu youkai's ears is the most severe punishment in the inu youkai culture: death is an affectionate nuzzle compared to it. And being a hanyou only made it worse: ningen blood was considered impure and weak. "Kuso! I've got to get him out of there!" Changing from his humanoid form to his true youkai form, that of a giant dog, he leaped out the open window. He began to fly, hot on the trail of his brother's still fresh scent. "I'm coming Inu!"

A.N. Well, I'm gonna leave it here cuz I luv cliffies! Heehee chibi smile If u want more, u can…review! But no worries, I'm not gonna beg. Or threaten. I am merely going to ask. Ahem…clears throat Would you be so kind as to review my pathetic excuse for a fanfiction? I will not tolerate flames. Constructive criticism is welcome though :D Now plz review, and I'll see you guys next chappie! Ciao!

Aquamarine Kitten


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